Old video captured by a storm chaser that was mistakenly shared as Hurricane Milton hit Florida

Similar posts were shared more than 2,700 times on TikTok and other platforms such as Facebook.

The video received over a million views after it was broadcast on Thai television channel Amarin TV and shared on social media.

These posts were shared after Hurricane Milton hit Florida on October 9 as a powerful Category 3 storm, triggering a spate of tornadoes that killed at least 16 people and left millions of homes without power (archived link).

However, the clips do not show Hurricane Milton in October.

The original videos were filmed by professional storm chaser Ricky Forbes during various tornado events in 2014 and 2023 (archived link).

Twin tornadoes in Nebraska in 2014

The first clip in the viral montage, showing two large tornadoes, is identical to this video posted on Forbes’ Facebook page (archived link).

The Forbes post’s caption states that the footage was captured the same day the twin EF4 tornadoes hit Pilger, Nebraska, which was underway June 16th2014 (Archived link).

EF4 tornadoes are the second highest level on the Enhanced Fujita Scale and produce wind speeds of 166-200 miles per hour (267-322 km/h).

Below is a screenshot comparison between the fake X post (left) and Forbes’ Facebook post (right):

A second clip, showing a close-up of a tornado, shows the same weather event in Nebraska in 2014.

Forbes shared the video on his Facebook page with the caption: “This is why tornadoes scare me, our experience with the Pilgrim, NE, EF4. This tornado occurred on June 16, 2014” (archived link).

Below is a screenshot comparison between the fake X post (left) and Forbes’ Facebook post (right):

Supercell in Alberta, Canada in 2023

A third clip in the compilation shows a powerful supercell storm and is based on a Facebook post from July 2023.

Forbes posted the footage to its Facebook account on July 2, 2023, with the caption “Very scary EF4 tornado moments ago southeast of Didsbury, Alberta” (archived link).

Below is a screenshot comparison between the fake X post (left) and Forbes’ Facebook post (right):

Forbes confirmed to AFP that the video clips of him were taken in 2014 and 2023.

“You’re right – these (clips) are mine and these are the correct dates,” Forbes wrote in an Oct. 15 email. “They were stolen and mislabeled.”

Previously, AFP has debunked misinformation about Hurricane Milton such as here, here and here.